Method of and means for precooling railway passenger cars



May 1, 1934. E. D. CAMPBELL METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRECOOLING RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS Filed July 23, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l mm E M m E 0 mm W m .A mv 765 y 1, 1934- E. D. CAMPBELL 7 1,956,790

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRECCOLING RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS Filed July 23, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 k? @r INVENTOR ATTO R N EY May 1, 1934. E. D. CAMPBELL Filed July 23, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Ema/725 22? ATTORNEY Patented May l, 1934 NHTED TATEES METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRECOOLING RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS 3 Edmund D. Campbell, University City, Mo., as-

Signor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 23, 1932, Serial No. 624,194

Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and means for precooling railway passenger cars.

One object of this invention is the provision of a simple, inexpensive and compact portable 5 construction for use with railway passenger cars or other vehicles which is operative to introduce conditioned air into the .car while at the same time withdrawing air from the interior of the car into the device to be first conditioned and then recirculated throughout the car.

Another object of this invention is the provi sion of a method of and means for efiecting the conditioning of the air in a railway car while the latter is standing in a station or yard prior to the commencement of a trip.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a portable device for pre-cooling a railway car or other passenger vehicle, which device is so constructed as to provide a means for withdrawing air from the interior of the vehicle and to pass said air through the device of the present invention, and during such passage the air is cooled and washed, said air being then, in its cooled and washed condition, injectedinto thecar for recirculation therein.

The present invention contemplates the use of water ice as a cooling medium, which ice will melt to provide cool water which is utilized to cleanse the air drawn from the interior of a passenger vehicle. This invention also contemplates an arrangement of parts in which the water melting from the ice is sprayed into the air and is then passed into surface contact with the ice whereby it is re-cooled prior to being utilized again for cleansing the air.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a pre-cooling device for railway cars or other passenger vehicles including an air conditioning system in which cooled water is sprayed into air withdrawn from a car; the pre-cooler having means for re-circulating the air through the car after it has been conditioned.

A-still further object of this invention is the provision of a pre-cooler for railway cars embodying an air conditioning system; which precooler is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which has provision for cleansing and cooling the air and which is adapted to utilize the air within the car and which pro-cooler is so formed as to withdraw the air from the car, then condition it and cool it and re-circulate it through the car whereby the passenger compartment of the car is temperature-conditioned.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a portable unit for attachment to a;

(or. e2 ire)' railway car or other vehicle which isadapted to condition the air-within the car.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device with the top wall thereof removed; the view being taken approximately on the line 1--1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the device taken approximately on the line 2-7-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the rear end of the device, a portion of the figure being in section to show the interior of the device;

Fig. 4 is a view looking at the front end of the device, the air conduits being removed and the figure having a portion of the front end wall removed to disclose the interior of the device; and

Fig. 5 is a view, more or less diagrammatic, showing a portion of a car in section and showing the air conduits connected thereto.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the device of the present invention is a portable unit adapted to be moved beside a railway car or other vehicle and to be connected thereto, a portion of the car being shown more or less diagrammatically in Fig. 5, so as to condition the air in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. As clearly shown in the drawings, the device comprises, in the main, a boX-likestructure A mounted on casters or rollers 1 so that it may be easily moved about and having therein suitable air conditioning equipment which is more fully described hereinafter.

The box A is an air conditioning apparatus and comprises top and bottom walls 2 and,4, respectively, a rear end wall 6, a front end wall 8 and side walls 9. These walls may be formed of any suitable or desired material, but preferably are formed of material 10 having heat-insulating properties, externally sheathed with metal 12 and having an inner metal lining 14; the joints of the inner lining being preferably sealed so that the interior of the box or apparatus is substantially leak-proof. The rear end wall includes a substantially centrally arranged, stationary, vertical portion 16 and hinged doors 1'? on opposite sides thereof adjacent ice chambers indicated generally at C (see Figs. 1 and2) extending longitudinally of the box on opposite sides of thelongitudinal center line thereof and formed by spaced longitudinally extending metal partitions 18' secured to the bottom of the box and extending, for the major portion of their length, from said bottom to the top wall of the box as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the partitions l8. incline upwardly toward each other and are suitably braced by cross members extending therebetween intermediate the top and bottom edge portions of saidpartitions.

The lower portions of the partitions 18 extend to and are connected with a vertically arranged partition 22 extending transversely of the box A from side wall to side wall thereof and forming the rear wall of a pump chamber P, the upper wall of which chamber comprises a horizontally arranged wall 24 extending from side to side of the box and forming a portion of the bottom of a blower chamber B which extends from side wall to side wall of the box. The walls 22 and 24 are formed substantially identical with the side and end walls of the box A as far as the material thereof is concerned and the heat-insulating material of the wall 24 is lined with a metal plate 26 which extends rearwardly in the box and transversely thereof from side wall to side wall and its rear edge portion is comiected with a vertically arranged partition 28 (see Fig. 1) arranged between the partitions 18 and having its upper edge portion connected with the rear edge portion of a horizontal plate 30 arranged between and connected to the lower edge portions of the forwardly projecting end portions of partitions 18; the partitions 18 at this point extending forwardly to the front end wall of the box A, as shown clearly in Fig. l, and being connected to said wall on opposite sides of an air intake opening 32 formed in the front end wall of the box A, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. The air intake opening 32 receives a coupling member 34 adapted for attachment to a flexible air hose 36 the opposite end of which is provided with an air intake nozzle 38 which, when the apparatus is in operation, is extended through a car window, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. From the description thus far it will be apparent that the partitions 18 define therebetween a passage, which receives air from the interior of a car body through the hose 36 and the air intake opening 32, the air passage at the forward end of the box being defined between the partitions 18, the top wall 2 of the box and the plate 30.

Arranged within the ice chamber C are suitable ice supporting grates 40 supported on diaphragms 42 which are perforated as shown at 44 (see Figs. 2 and 3) and the rear portions of the grates 40 are supported by an angle 46 extending from side wall to side wall of the box. The ice grates 40 preferably slope downwardly to the front end of the box and at their forward ends are provided with upper and lower barriers 48 and a barrier 50 arranged intermediate the upper and lower barriers 48 and formed preferably of screening, as shown'clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

The lower portions of the partitions 18 are provided with a plurality of apertures 52 and it will be apparent that water which melts from the ice on the grates 40 may pass through the'severalapertures 44 and 52 to a discharge pipe 54 connected with a pipe line 56 having a suitable drain valve 58; the pipe line leading to a pump 60 arranged in the pump chamber P and adapted to pump water which melts'from the ice and which passes into the line 56 through a pipe 62 leading to bra-ch pipes 64 extending in opposite direct-ions and having connection with a pair of vertically arranged spray pipes 66 having nozzles 68 adapted to spray water therefrom in a direction toward the rear end of the box; the spray nozzles 68 being arranged respectively on opposite sides of the air passage defined by the partitions 18. Connected with the pipes 66 are spray pipes 70 suspended as by straps '72 from the top wall 2 of the box above the ice grates 40 and provided with a plurality of perforations 74 through which water may be sprayed into the ice chambers.

Arranged within the blower chamber B is a motor 76 adapted to drive blowers arranged in housings 78 arranged in alinement with the ice chambers C; the blowers having connection with ducts 80 which converge to an air discharge opening formed in the front wall 8 of the box and having connection with a discharge conduit 82, the opposite end of which is provided with a discharge nozzle 84 which, when the apparatus is in operation, extends through one of the car windows as shown clearly in Fig. 5.

Arranged in the ice chambers and on opposite sides of the air intake passage between the partitions 18 are vertically arranged eliminators 86 of any preferred or desired form; the eliminators being supported by suitable frame members 88 and being arranged in the rear of the spray nozzles 68 and in advance of the blower chamber B.

In use, ice is charged in the box on the grates 40 and the conduits 36 and 82 are connected so that their free ends extend into the pa'ssenger compartment of the car, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. When the motor 76 is started it is obvious that suction is created within the box which will draw air from the passenger compartment of the car through the intake nozzle 38 and conduit 36 through the opening 32 into the air passage between the partitions 18 from whence the air will pass to theme chambers C and over the ice to be cooled thereby and then through the eliminators 86, the blower housings 78 and ducts 80 into the conduit 82 from where it passes in its cooled condition from the nozzle 84 into the passenger compartment of the car. Obviously the ice on the grates 40 will melt and the water therefrom will be forced by means of pump 60' through pipes 56, 62 and 66 through the spray nozzles 68 and the spray pipes 70, and the water sprayed from the nozzles '68 and spray pipes 70 will wash to its re-entry into the passenger compartment of the car. Immediately after'the air has been washed by this cold water; the temperature of the airthus being further.redu ced, moisture is abstracted from the washed and cooled air in passing through the eliminators 86 prior to its re-entrance into the passenger compartment oi the car.

From the description above it is to be noted that on each side of the intake opening 32 an air passage is present from the top 2 of the box down to the transverse partition or bottom wall 24 of the blower chamber B. The construction described herein is simple and easy to manufacture and provides a means for pre-cooling a vehicle while the same is standing in a railroad yard or in a station, this pre-cooling being effected by a portable apparatus which conditions the air or, in other words, cools the air and eliminates dirt and other foreign matter therefrom and supplies air in a proper state of humidifica- 1 tion to the passenger compartment of the car. With this arrangement it is obvious that the apparatus utilizes the air within the passenger compartment of the car, circulating and re-circulating the same air but supplying air in a proper condition of humidification and cleanliness which greatly adds to the comfort of passengers. The drawings illustrate one embodiment of the invention but it is to be understood that they are for illustrative purposes only and various changes in the form and proportions of the apparatus may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of cooling passenger compartments of railway cars which comprises drawing air by suction from the passenger compartment and passing said air through an air condition ing apparatus disposed outside the car, subjecting the air in transit through the apparatus to, first, an initial cooling, then to direct contact with ice to further cool the air and subsequently to the action of sprays of cold water produced by the melting of the ice, abstracting moisture from the air after its passage through the sprays and finally introducing the air under pressure into the passenger compartment.

2. In an apparatus for temperature conditioning the passenger compartments of railway ears, an air conditioning cabinet operatively disposed outside the car to be cooled and embodying an air intake passage having an inlet at one end portion thereof, ice chambers on opposite sides of said air intake passage having means for supporting ice' therein, a pump in the cabinet, spray means arranged in the ice chambers and connected .with the pump, a drain connected with the pump and receiving water produced by the melting of the ice, eliminators adjacent the spray means, and blower means for drawing air from the ice chambers through the spray means and eliminators and to force the air from the cabinet.

3. In a pro-cooler for railway cars, a cabinet having spaced ice chambers, an air intake passage between said ice chambers and in communication with the latter at one end portion thereof, said air intake passage being adapted to be cooled by ice in said ice chambers, blower means in the cabi-' net for drawing air through the intake 'passage into said ice chambers and for forcing air under pressure out of the cabinet whereby the air is cooled in the intake passage and then further cooled in said ice chambers, and spray means in the ice chambers for subjecting the air during said further cooling to the action of water to wash the air prior to discharge from the cabinet.

4. In a pre-cooling system for railway cars adapted to and using water ice, a cabinet having substantially centrally arranged partitions defining an air intake passage, combined ice and water spray chambers on opposite sides of said air intake passage and in communication with the latter at one end portion thereof, spray means in said chambers. pump means for spraying water melting from the ice into said combined ice and spray chambers, said spray means being so arranged as to discharge the water onto the ice whereby it is cooled, and blower means in the cabinet operative to draw air through the air intake passage to be initially cooled and then through the ice and spray chambers prior to dis charge from the cabinet.

5. In a pre-cooling system for railway cars adapted to and using water ice. a portable apparatus disposed outside the car and adapted for connection therewith and including a cabinet having spaced ice chambers, an air intake passage between the ice chambers, pump means in the cabinet for forcing water melting from the ice into the ice chambers to be discharged onto the ice for recooling, eliminator plates at one end portion of each of said ice chambers, and blower means for forcing air from the cabinet, said blower means being operative to draw air from the railway car into and through the intake passage and into the ice chambers and through thewater discharged therein prior to passage of the air through the eliminator plates and outof the cabinet.

6. In a pre-cooler for railway cars, a cabinet disposed outside the car and having inlet and outlet openings adapted for connection to the passenger compartment of a railway car, spaced ice chambers in the cabinet, an air intake passage intermediate the ice chambers and adapted to be cooled by the ice in the ice chambers, said air intake passage being in communication at one end portion thereof with the ice chambers, blower means fordrawing air through the intake passage into the ice chambers into direct contact with the ice therein and for discharging the air out of the cabinet spray means in the ice chambers, pump means for spraying water into the air passing through the ice chambers, and moisture abstracting means forming at least part of one of the walls of each of said ice chambers through which the cooled air passes prior to discharge from the cabinet.

7. In an air cooling apparatus, a cabinet having spaced longitudinally arranged partitions therein providing spaced ice chambers and an air passage therebetween, said partitions being so arranged that ice in said chambers is maintained in direct heat exchange relation therewith. a spray means in saidice chambers, eliminators adjacent --one end of said ice chambers, and blower means in the cabinet for drawing air through the air passage, ice chambers and eliminators and for forcing saidair from the cabinet.

8. The method of temperature conditioning the passenger compartments of railway cars which comprises drawing air from the passenger compartment into and through an air conditioning apparatus arranged outside the car, subjecting the air in transit through the apparatus to an initial cooling, then to direct contact in a plurality of independent streams with water ice, and finally forcing the air in a single stream into the passenger compartment.

9. The method of temperature conditioning the passenger compartments of railway cars which comprises drawing air from the passenger compartment into and through an air conditioning apparatus arranged outside the car, subjecting the air in transit through the apparatus to an initial cooling, then to direct contact in a plurality of independent streams with water ice, removing excess moisture from the air, and finally forcing the air in a single stream into the passenger compartment.

10. The method of temperature conditioning the passenger compartments of railway cars which comprises drawing air from the passenger compartment into and through an air conditioning apparatus arranged outside the car, subjecting the air in transit through the apparatus to an initial cooling, then to direct contact in a plurality of independent streamswith water ice subject-ing the air to the action of water sprays, then removing excess moisture from the air and finally forcing the air into the passenger compartment.

EDMUND D. CAMPBELL. 

